Vernal

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It’s four days until the vernal equinox, yet spring is already coming in quickly. My family has been hit by the flu recently, so I’ve been inside for the past ten days. I got sick last Saturday. This past Wednesday, I finally ventured outside for the first time. I’m thankful for the few acres we have–I’ve been taking walks around the pond to get my strength back and to soothe my overdosing of news. There are little things to be distracted by every day, and these small distractions are certainly what I need right now.

The first thing I noticed was how quickly plants are springing to life. From the developments I am not surprised by, like the daffodils and tulips that line the house and are practically jumping out of the ground, to the ones that have me almost upset, like the lilac bush that is already putting out leaves. My barometer of spring is the ramps, which don’t seem to come out until the soil is truly warm enough. They are smartly still snug in the ground, although a few tiny green tips are showing. Buds are seemingly more easy to fool than roots.

One of the most exciting discoveries is of the springtime garb of the hazelnut shrubs. Their catkins are lengthening and loosening so that pollen can come out and pollinate the flowers. Hazelnut shrubs are handily both male and female, so that the catkins will pollinate the little star-shaped flowers just downwind of them. I am excited to catch this display–the catkins are showy, and the flowers are sweet little pink stars.

Friends have been sharing links that will keep us busy during this time, like Fitness Blender, Virtual Tours of Museums and our local library’s online offerings. I am relying on puzzles (which I love, but not for everyone, I know!), and I’m going to work on a few painting projects around the house. It’s also not too early to start planting in the garden. Spinach, radishes, and peas can be direct sown right now, especially with this odd early spring. Feel free to leave an idea in the comments!

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I was looking for our ramps today, too but they’re too smart to come out yet. Good for them. Crocuses and snowdrops blooming here and I see some daffys that are about to open which freaks me out and delights me in equal measure. Sorry you guys have all been sick. We planted some peas the other day but good call on the spinach and radishes, too. gotta dig into the seeds and see if I have those. We’ve started onions, leeks, cabbages and kale inside. Unfortunately, there was a family of mice living in the trays in the garden shed over the winter so everything smells strongly of urine – it’s gross! Hope you are fully recovered soon and that your social distancing does not take too much of a toll.